Basketball-The Most successful Teams

The NBA's Most Successful Teams

The NBA’s most successful teams are not just those that have earned the most championships. While the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls all rank in the top five of championship wins with 17 each, it is important to note the contributions of their players to the league.

Michael Jordan, arguably one of the greatest basketball players in history, was a member on six different NBA Championship-winning teams. Jordan won five titles with the Chicago Bulls and one title with the Washington Wizards. His Airness was also named Most Valuable Player (MVP) 10 times and Defensive Player of the Year for two straight seasons in 1988-89 and 1989-90.

Magic Johnson is another player in this conversation. He won five championships with three different teams: two with Showtime’s Lakers, one when he was teamed up with Larry Bird as coach of Michigan State University’s Spartans, and one during his brief comeback from retirement when he played for Hollywood team called “Lakers Lately.” With Johnson at point guard, Showtime’s Lakers were by far one of the best teams ever assembled, being able to beat opponents using not only speed but height as well.

Scottie Pippen was a vital part of six NBA Championship teams - three while playing alongside Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls and three more while playing alongside Kobe Bryant on LA's Lakers.

What Makes a Great Team?

The NBA’s most successful teams have had players that were not only great during their reign but also had significant numbers of Hall of Fame honors.

And with today’s NBA, there are plenty of stars who have winning records and Hall of Fame recognition. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett are all champions who are in the Hall of Fame. Tim Duncan was one of the greatest power forwards ever and is a five-time champion with two MVP awards. Vince Carter was an eight-time All-Star who won Rookie of the Year in 2000 as well as three Championships with Dallas Mavericks. Shaquille O’Neal was a basketball legend that won four championships with Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic.

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls are one of the most famous brand partnerships in sports history. Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls from 1984-1998 and led them to six championships. He is still considered by many as the best player to ever play in the NBA.

Jordan was not only a successful player but also a successful businessman and philanthropist. MJ donated 5 million dollars to his alma mater, University of North Carolina, to fund an endowment for African-American students attending the university’s Morehouse College of Medicine.

Magic Johnson and the LA Lakers

Magic Johnson is one of the most celebrated players in NBA history. In addition to being a three-time MVP, he won five championships with the LA Lakers and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. The Lakers have won a total of 16 championships, with Magic Johnson’s 1979 team as the most recent.

Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls

Scottie Pippen is one of basketball’s most decorated players, with six NBA championships and five NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards to his credit. He joined the Chicago Bulls in 1987 as a rookie and played 14 seasons with the team. In 1991, he helped lead the Bulls to their first championship with a 2-1 series win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls won three more titles in 1992, 1993 and 1996; Pippen was named finals MVP in all three victories. In 1997, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and then to the Houston Rockets before rejoining the Bulls for his final season in 1999-2000.

Conclusion

The secrets of the most successful teams in NBA history is that they found a great balance of talent. The Bulls had Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman, for instance; the Lakers had Magic, James Worthy, and Kareem. They used their strengths to cover each other's weaknesses.

For your team to be successful, you need to find the right balance of talent and you need to be able to use that talent in the right way. It's not enough to have a great basketball player on your team if he can't shoot the ball well. It's not enough to have a great shooter if he can't defend the rim. And it's not enough to have a great defender if he can't shoot well. To be successful, you need to find a way for all your players to play well together.